Peace of Mind
by Kyarorain
Summary: A young Ivan has found himself suddenly able to read people's minds, and is afraid of how certain people would react if they knew.


**Peace of Mind**

* * *

This is a fic I wrote for a tournament, which focused on the theme of character pasts. It will be focusing on a very important event in Ivan's past.

Camelot owns Golden Sun.

* * *

The young, blond boy walked along the dusty paved street, clutching a large bag of groceries to his chest, his eyes fixed fast upon the large palace in the distance that was his destination. Suddenly, his vision was obscured by a woman's body and he barely managed to stop in time, almost dropping the brown paper bag.

Ivan raised his head, blinking up at the woman who smiled apologetically down at him. "Sorry, did I almost bump into you?"

He was faintly aware of a strange feeling welling up inside him at that moment, a feeling that he had experienced before, and then he once more found himself listening to words that he should not have been able to.

_"That Ivan, always wandering around with his head in the clouds. He needs to look where he's going."_

The woman had not spoken them out loud, he knew that much. It had all been inside her head and she had absolutely no idea that he had heard them.

Ivan hastily ducked his head. "Sorry!" he exclaimed, his face flushing. "I should have looked where I was going. It's my fault." He hastily hurried past the woman, who looked after him with a mildly confused expression.

The boy ran all the way back to the palace, breathing heavily. It had happened yet again and he knew it wasn't normal. People were not supposed to be able to hear the thoughts of others and yet he was able to do so. How was it that he had this strange ability to pry into people's minds?

The guards standing in front of the palace stepped aside and allowed Ivan to pass through the doors. He stopped and looked down into the bag at the contents within, his shoulders shaking as he bit down on his lower lip.

Was he not a normal human being if he could do something so extraordinary? Ivan was afraid of what people would think of him if they knew of his strange power. They would surely refer to him as a freak and even fear him. If the people of Kalay were to ever find out about this, what would they do?

Would even his kind master, Hammet, look down on him if he knew about Ivan's strange gift?

_"Surely not," _Ivan thought, feeling a stab of pain in his chest. Hammet had always been kind to him, almost like a father, and he had grown up in this palace. It was his home and he couldn't imagine what life would be like without Hammet and his wife, Layana, who was Ivan's mother figure.

He had no idea who his parents were or where he was actually from. All he really knew was that Hammet had taken him in as a baby. What could have led to such a circumstance? Could it be that he had been abandoned by his own parents?

Tears glistened on the surface of his purple eyes. Perhaps his parents had known that he was not normal and abandoned him, but how could they have been able to tell such a thing when he was only a baby? Still, there had to be some reason why.

Ivan didn't want to end up being abandoned again. He couldn't bear the thought of his foster parents doing to him what his real parents might have done. Of course, he didn't know for a fact that they had abandoned him. The thought that they might have actually died wasn't so comforting. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

"Hello? Ivan?" An impatient female voice broke into his thoughts. "What are you doing?"

Ivan glanced up at a maid, who was giving him a strange look, and then he felt the power again. He had the feeling that he had called upon it himself, as if he really wanted to know what the maid was thinking.

_"What's that lazy boy doing, standing around and doing nothing? Huh... it looks like he might be crying." _Now the maid had a concerned look on her face.

"Uh... I was just thinking..." Ivan said awkwardly, feeling embarrassed that he had been caught looking like this.

"You look pretty rough," the maid spoke sympathetically, stepping up to him. "Here, let me take the groceries," she added as she reached out and took the bag from Ivan's arms.

"Thanks," Ivan mumbled, ducking his head and hurrying past her. He made his way to the doors straight ahead and passed through them into the room within. When he entered, he saw Hammet and Layana sitting upon their thrones, listening attentively to the man standing tall before them with his hands behind his back.

At Ivan's entrance, the man glanced over his shoulder. Ivan recognised him as Hammet's advisor, Lionel, who regularly came to give Hammet advice and was someone that the lord of Kalay trusted very much.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise..." Ivan was already backing away toward the door, not wishing to interrupt their conversation.

"It's alright, I had just finished," Lionel spoke quickly. He turned his attention back to Hammet and Layana, bowing slightly. "I will now be taking my leave."

Ivan stood still as the tall man turned around and strode past him with a blank expression on his face, listening to the sound of his retreating footsteps.

"Did you get manage to get everything from the shops, Ivan?" Layana suddenly asked, jolting Ivan out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her smiling face, framed by long crimson hair formed in tight curls.

"Um, yeah." Ivan nodded, his gaze dropping to the floor. He so badly wanted to talk to Hammet and Layana about his problems, but what could he tell them? They probably wouldn't believe that he could read minds and even if he was to convince them, what would they think? It wasn't normal to be able to read people's thoughts.

"Is something the matter?" Hammet asked, regarding Ivan with a concerned look. It seemed as if he was depressed about something, which bothered the silk merchant. What could the boy have to be upset about?

All he wanted to do was let it out, but he couldn't do it. He was just too scared of how they would react, knowing that the boy they had taken in was abnormal. Ivan looked up and shook his head, putting on a fake smile. "Nothing's wrong," he said quickly, hoping it would be enough to ease their worries. "I just wanted to let you know I was back."

Hammet and Layana stared at Ivan as he turned around and left the room, closing the doors behind him with a dull thud. They slowly looked at each other, confusion written all over their faces. Something was clearly not right about Ivan and they both knew it very well.

"I wonder what's wrong with Ivan?" Layana frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "It seems like something is bothering him, but what could it be?"

"I think he has been a little down lately." Hammet looked down at his lap, remembering the day he had taken Ivan as a baby over six years ago. He had done his best to raise the boy right and cared for him like he was his own son. "There's something he's not telling us. I'm sure he'll tell us when he's ready."

"I hope so. I hate to see him upset like that," Layana said quietly.

Ivan rushed through the hallways of the palace to the servant quarters, finding it empty. He was glad to have the chance to be alone to dwell on his troubled thoughts. The young Adept threw himself upon his bed and rested his head against the soft fluffy pillow, closing his eyes and sighing heavily.

_"What's wrong with me? I don't understand why I have this strange power to read people's thoughts. I wish I could just tell somebody, but I don't think I can. What if they despise me and call me a freak? I'm a freak... aren't I?"_

With these turbulent thoughts running around in his head, he soon drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Ivan awoke a short while later, his stomach rumbling, and realized that it was about time for lunch. If he didn't attend his meal, he would only be making everyone worry about him even more.

* * *

The next day, Ivan was still keeping quiet about his troubles, despite Layana making an effort to ask what was bothering him. He knew his foster parents were very concerned about him and felt bad about worrying them, but it was better than the alternative. The boy was just too afraid of what might happen if the truth came out.

Ivan simply could not bear the idea of Hammet and Layana throwing him out. Even if they loved him like their own son, they might end up thinking differently if they knew he was a freak, and he didn't want that.

He was wandering through the halls of the palace, half in a daze, when a man stepped in front of him. Ivan came to a sudden halt and looked up to see the face of Lionel.

"Hello, Ivan," Lionel greeted him, inclining his head in a brief nod. His expression remained blank as he gazed at the young boy standing before him.

"Hello, sir." Ivan jammed his hands in his pockets and glanced down awkwardly, hoping the man would just move on. He was hardly in the mood for a conversation right now and he wasn't really too fond of Lionel either. There was just something odd about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Hammet and Layana are quite worried about you, it seems," said Lionel, his mouth forming a thin smile. "I hope you're not too troubled. It would do you good to talk about anything that's bothering you rather than bottle it up."

"I suppose so." Ivan let out a quiet sigh. How could he possibly talk about something like this? It wasn't even normal to be able to read a person's mind and nobody would even understand him. The boy looked up once more into the placid face of the older man and found himself seized with the desire to look into his mind. That strange power flowed out of his body and then he heard the unspoken words.

_"Hammet and Layana are such fools. They are so wrapped up in their own affairs, they haven't even realised I'm helping myself to their riches. Working for a wealthy man has its perks."_

Ivan let out a gasp and took a step back, his eyes widening. Had he just heard his thoughts correctly? Of course he had, why would anybody be thinking about something that wasn't true, especially when they had no idea those thoughts could be read by the person standing before them?

Lionel regarded him with a calmly puzzled stare. "Are you alright?"

Ivan couldn't speak as he continued to stare in disbelief. It sounded to him like Lionel was stealing from Hammet and Layana and they didn't even know about it. Hammet's own advisor was robbing him and getting away with it.

Without saying another word, Ivan turned around and ran off. He didn't stop until he was outside in the palace gardens. Running had made him out of breath and he had to stop and rest against a tree to recover it. His head was swimming and he felt dazed from that terrible secret he had just learned. If it hadn't been for his power, he wouldn't have known about it.

Ivan slid to the ground, resting his back against the tree. "Now what am I supposed to do?" he whispered to himself, shaking his head. The obvious thing to do was to tell Hammet what was going on, but then that would mean revealing his abnormality. How else could he explain learning the truth?

_"I can't possibly keep it a secret," _Ivan thought, biting his lower lip. _"Hammet has to know what's going on, even if it means telling him about my own secret and taking a risk. I can't let that guy get away with stealing from them. It wouldn't be right at all."_

With a heavy heart, Ivan rose from the ground and began slowly walking back to the palace with his head hung low. He had no choice. Even if it meant sacrificing his happiness, he had to let them know what was going on.

Hammet was alone in the throne room when Ivan entered, reading over some paperwork. He looked up from it, directing his gaze toward the young Adept. Immediately, he noticed the gloomy expression on Ivan's face and put down the papers, walking over to him. "Ivan, what's the matter?" he asked gently.

Ivan swallowed heavily, forcing down the lump in his throat. His hands felt clammy from nervousness. "It's Lionel," he spoke in a weak voice.

Surprise flickered across Hammet's face at the mention of the name. "What about him?"

"He..." Ivan faltered for a moment, struggling to get out the words. "He's been stealing money from you."

Hammet was silent, the shock clear in his eyes as he stared at Ivan. He had no idea that his trusted advisor could have been capable of such a thing. "Ivan, look at me," he spoke in a serious tone, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. Ivan raised his head, looking up into his eyes. "Did you see him do it?"

Ivan shook his head.

"Did somebody tell you this?"

"No..."

Hammet frowned. "So, how do you know about it?"

"I read it in his mind," Ivan spoke so faintly that the silk merchant almost didn't hear him. He hung his head, biting his bottom lip, and waited for the dreaded reaction.

The confusion on Hammet's face cleared immediately and he stood straight, looking grim. "I see. That Lionel, I can't believe he would do something like this. He is going to be punished for sure."

Ivan's head shot up and his mouth dropped open. "Wait, you believe me?" he asked in astonishment. This wasn't the reaction that he had been expecting in the least.

"But of course I do, Ivan," Hammet replied, looking at him with a broad smile. "Ever since I took you in as a baby, I knew that you were going to develop powers as you grew up."

Ivan was still staring at him with his mouth open, clearly shocked. He couldn't believe that Hammet had known about this all along and he had been worrying for nothing. "Then... does that mean I'm not the only one with these powers?"

"There are other people like you, Ivan, out there in the world." Hammet chose his words carefully. He didn't want to risk saying too much to Ivan, for fear of endangering the prophecy. All he could do was wait for the storm that would only strike Mt. Aleph and then after that, it would be time for Ivan to set off with warriors from Vale. When that would be, he didn't know. "You are not alone."

"I see." Ivan's eyes stung with tears of relief. "So, I'm not a freak?"

"Ivan, no," Hammet spoke in a shocked tone, taking hold of him again. "You are a very special person. Ordinary people can only dream of having the powers that you do. It's a gift that you were born with and you were meant to have it." He fell quiet, thinking to himself for a moment before he spoke again. "Still, it would be a good idea to keep quiet about it. Not everyone knows about people like you and..."

"I understand," Ivan interrupted. He had been almost afraid of his own power when he first discovered it and imagined that other people would certainly feel the same way. He blinked back tears and smiled. "I'm so glad... I thought nobody would understand. It was really weird when I started being able to hear people's thoughts."

Hammet stood up. "You don't have to be afraid of it anymore, Ivan. Be thankful that you have such a precious gift." He fondly ruffled Ivan's mop of blond hair. "Now I'm going to go and deal with a very important issue." He strode past Ivan, leaving the room.

Ivan watched him leave, a grin splitting his face. Suddenly, having this power didn't seem so bad anymore.


End file.
